I am not trying to compare Netflix Original animated movie, NEXT GEN, with Pixar’s BIG HERO 6. But I must say, I enjoyed NEXT GEN as much as I did with BIG HERO 6. And I teared a bit towards the ending too.
NEXT GEN was produced by Baozou Manhua in association with Tangent Animation. This China-Canada co-production is worth all your time and maybe some tears. The voice overs are by familiar Hollywood stars like Jason, Sudeikis, Michael Pena, John Krasinki, Charlyne Yi and also Constance Wu from Fresh Off The Boat or the recent hit, Crazy Rich Asian. If you missed the credits of the production house at the title screen, you might just think that this film was made by animation giants like PIXAR or DreamWorks. It is that good. That’s why Netflix paid a whopping US$30 million for the distribution rights.
The plot of NEXT GEN starts with a rebellious kid named, Mai (Charlyne Yi), who hates her world which is filled with robotics for everything. Yes. Everything! Even combing your own hair requires a robot. Everything starts to changed when you met a top-secret AI robot, 7723 (ohn Krasinki). This is when her adventure begins. Along with her pet dog, Momo (Michael Pena), which is super duper cute and comical, the trio fight their way, sometimes GUNDAM STYLE, to help save the world.
You may think the plot is cliche, but its same same but different in a good way. Watch for yourself and you decide. I shall avoid spilling any spoilers here.
I would give this movie a rating of 4 out of 5. You should gather up everybody and make it a movie screening this weekend in a living room near you. NEXT GEN will be released today at 4 pm SGT. ENJOY!!!
